Budget amp replacement for old Denon PMA250Mk3

[admin_exported]

Hi,

I'm looking to replace an aging Denon PMA250Mk3 amp as time has finally caught up with it.

I don't have a huge amount of money to spend on the replacement so looking sub-£200, which I know limits things a fair amount.

Possible options I've seen so far are the Cambridge Audio AM10 and the Denon PMA510AE - both priced around £170.

Amp is connected to an old Denon CD player (can't remember model) and old Mission speakers (again can't remember model as about 20 years old, mid-sized bookshelf speakers on stands).

General music listened to is normally rock-based with various flavours of blues, dance, electronica thrown in as well. Not much classical or easy listening really.

I've read mixed reviews of both of both the amps above so looking for insight here, specifically regarding to style of music I'll play on it.

Any advice would be welcome, especially if there are alternatives I should look at.

Regards,

Andrew

 

[the record spot]

Check out secondhand too - also what some delaers have from customer trade-ins. Plenty of great stuff out there for your budget, better than you'd realise. Well worth investigating!

 

[Big Chris]

Agree with T.R.S.

Keep your eyes open for 2nd hand and end-of-line stuff. Also, be aware that certain brands are more popular than others. If you go for a less popular brand your money will go further, and just because it's less popular doesn't mean it's bad.

 

[Blackdawn]

I'd recommend a Denon PMA 250SE. What about the NAD C316BEE new.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to the 3 who replied so far - all good comments and the only reason I've not really looked at second hand so far is that, to be honest, I'm not sure where to start these days with what would be good candidates as second hand purchases for around the £180 mark. The only real requrement I have is that it has a remote control to adjust volume as it'll be hooked up to the PS3 for watching BluRay's on HD TV as well as normal CD listening.

I'll read reviews of the Nad mentioned above - guess there may be a chance of a second hand one of those.

Any more replies/advice still welcome, both on the two amp I initially mentioned and also what may be suitable second-hand contenders in the same price bracket.

Once again, thanks to those that have replied so far - very much appreciated!

Andrew

 

[matthewpiano]

Good 2nd hand candidates:

Marantz PM7200

Marantz PM6003

Marantz PM6010KI

Rega Brio 3

Rotel RA-04

If you go down the new route I'd take a look at the Marantz PM5004 or look at the Onkyo integrateds which will be very solidly engineered and go relatively cheaply.

 

[Blackdawn]

If you decide to go for the CA route, I would definitely spend the extra on the bottom level Azur range. You may even get a CA 550A for £199 all though it looks like there are not many around. The NAD can be had for around £220 ish. Theres a receiver by Onkyo (TX8255) which i've seen for £199. Hope this helps. If you can go and try a few this should help you decide.

My Denon PMA is still working well and I'm very happy with the sound it makes. If you want to save some you can find it for £40-£50 second hand, which leaves plenty spare for music. However, it has no remote.

 

[matthewpiano]

Definitely go to Azur if you go with Cambridge. The Topaz amps are naff IMO. Poor channel balance at low volumes and it won't sound as good as your old Denon. The 350A, on the other hand, is a good little amp.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all who have replied again - very useful responses and I'm now looking at reviews of all the second hand ones mentioned to before narrowing down the field. My local HiFi shop is open again tomorrow so probably going to have a listen to two of the new models as a baseline to see how things compare to my existing amp.

Merry Christmas

Andrew

 

[Anonymous]

After much more pondering, reading of reviews and browsing of eBay I've finally placed an order for my replacement amp.

I nearly bid on a Marantz PM7200 yesterday on eBay but it was too short notice and I was only on my phone as away from home. It ended up going for £152 which seemed pretty good.

Then I started looking for used Marantz PM6003's and was pretty sure I was going to get one of those...until seeing a price on a PM6004 in the sales that I couldn't refuse. After seeing the WhatHifi review of the PM6004 I decided it was worth a go even though I hadn't heard one as stock levels were low and nobody else was getting anywhere near the price on offer (£215).

So, order placed for a new UK stock PM6004 with free delivery - now just hoping it sounds OK with my old Mission 732's!

Andrew

 

[Cypher]

The PM6004 is a great choice...............enjoy your music

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Great price........but where from?

 

[kevinJ]

You should be able to get some nice amps since it's the end of the year. Most shops offer an extra discount

 

[Anonymous]

From here:-

http://homeavdirect.co.uk/marantz-pm6004-intergrated-amplifier